Carys Boughton | Illustrator

Tinta Plural / Plural Ink residency, Colombia

In late summer 2025, I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to spend two weeks in Colombia as part of the Tinta Plural / Plural Ink residency. A collaboration between Entreviñetas and Thought Bubble – comics festivals in Bogotá and Harrogate respectively – the residency brought myself and Colombian artist Paula Carvajal together to travel around Bogotá, Buenaventura and Cali and discuss comics and sustainability with artists, writers, publishers and events organisers within the comics industry.

The main outcome of this was a short comic, co-created by Paula and myself, which will be launched before the end of 2026. For now, here are two sample pages.

The residency was predominantly funded by the British Council’s Circular Culture programme, which supports arts organisations across Latin America to introduce environmental sustainability initiatives into their work.

Sample page: Tinta Plural / Plural Ink residency

Sample page: Tinta Plural / Plural Ink residency comic

The people of Gaza are being starved: what can we do?

[June 2025] Over the last few weeks, I have been sharing short comics to my Instagram page about my traineeship in market gardening with Growing Communities. However, as Israel started and has continued to blockade the entry of aid into Gaza, it has felt increasingly wrong to share these comics — so I made this instead.

The full list of resources referenced:

https://www.instagram.com/workers4pal/

https://www.instagram.com/palestinesolidarityuk/

https://palestinecampaign.org/campaigns/dont-buy-apartheid/

https://www.instagram.com/bds.movement/

https://www.instagram.com/hindkhoudary/

https://www.instagram.com/wizard_bisan1/

https://www.instagram.com/eye.on.palestine/

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/israel-deadly-investments

(The artwork was completed and published before Palestine Action was proscribed.)

Arbroath and Auchmithie Fishing Tales, New Scriptorium residency (1/5)

One of five postcard comics I made as part of a residency at the New Scriptorium, a dedicated artists and writers’ bothy in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey. The residency was coordinated by the Arbroath Festival, in collaboration with Hospitalfield and the Lake s International Comic Arts Festival.

The comics are based on conversations I shared with Arbroath locals about the significance of the fishing industry to the area: its rich heritage, its vibrant but challenged present, and the promises and vulnerabilities of its future. This comic and the last one use the postcard format more reflexively. ypical local “sights” are overlaid with the voices of community members sharing reflections on the shifting significance of fishing to their own and the area’s identity.

More about the people than the fishing

(Top) Arbroath has had a working harbour since 1394. The current harbour was built in 1870 to support the area’s growing trading activity - importing coal, flax, timber, salt and iron, and exporting grains, stone, leather and, of course, fish. Over the following 150 years, this trading and the accompanying industries - from sail-making to boat building and fishing - have either completely shut down or contracted significantly. Now, the harbour is home to leisure boats, 19 active creel fishing boats, one boat building business, and numerous eateries. Passionate community members have different ideas about the harbour’s future, but one thing is clear - it will continue to be central to Arbroath’s identity for many years to come.

(Bottom) The view across Carlingheugh Bay on the coastal path from Arbroath to Auchmithie. The cliffs were formed in the Devonian age - 400 million years ago - known as the “Age of the Fishes” as life was abundant in the oceans, but relatively scant on land. Formed mostly of soft old red sandstone, the cliffs have served multifarious uses for people over the centuries: they have been quarried for building material, and their many caves facilitated Arbroath’s position as Scotland’s smuggling capital in the 16th and 17th centuries. Now, they’re a popular destination for walkers - attracted by their striking shapes, and often also by the promise of a Smokie pancake at the But N Ben in Auchmithie at the walk’s end.

Overfishing? Arbroath and Auchmithie Fishing Tales, New Scriptorium residency (3/5)

One of five postcard comics I made as part of a residency at the New Scriptorium, a dedicated artists and writers’ bothy in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey. The residency was coordinated by the Arbroath Festival, in collaboration with Hospitalfield and the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival.

The comics are based on conversations I shared with Arbroath locals about the significance of the fishing industry to the area: its rich heritage, its vibrant but challenged present, and the promises and vulnerabilities of its future.

Overfishing?

With Tommy and Benji Yule, father and son creel fishers. Creel fishing is the main type of commercial fishing in Arbroath, after the collapse (or destruction) of the local white fishing industry across the late 1980s into the early 2000s. The lobster and crab populations in the waters around Arbroath are currently stable, however there are concerns that populations may drastically decline soon as a result of overfishing. There is no quantity quota on most species of shellfish in Scotland. Lobsters and crabs just have to be of a minimum size, which theoretically protects the juvenile populations - but this seems to be insufficient. The Arbroath and Montrose Static Gear Association, who represent local creel fishers, are urging the Scottish government’s Marine Directorate to introduce a quantitative quota for the long term benefit of the local creel fishing industry. Bob Teviotdale, Chair of the AMSGA, commented that the Marine Directorate were not unsupportive of a quota like this, but do not know how they would enforce it.

The man on the harbour wall is Harry Simpson - former owner of Mackay Boatbuilders, the last boatyard in Arbroath and one of the few remaining in Scotland with the expertise to restore historic wooden vessels.

Smokies made here! Arbroath and Auchmithie Fishing Tales, New Scriptorium residency (3/5)

One of five postcard comics I made as part of a residency at the New Scriptorium, a dedicated artists and writers’ bothy in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey. The residency was coordinated by the Arbroath Festival, in collaboration with Hospitalfield and the Lake s International Comic Arts Festival.

The comics are based on conversations I shared with Arbroath locals about the significance of the fishing industry to the area: its rich heritage, its vibrant but challenged present, and the promises and vulnerabilities of its future.

Smokies made here

With Jo Moore, co-owner and manager of The Fish Hoose, a fishmonger and smokie-maker in the Fit o’ the Toon - the historic harbour-side part of Arbroath where the fishing community first established themselves. For most of the 20th century, almost every fisher household in the Fit o’ the Toon would have made their own smokies, but now there are just a handful of local businesses keeping up the practice, smoking haddock bought in from the bigger ports, like Peterhead, that are still landing white fish.

Nevertheless, the tradition is still at the heart of Arbroath’s harbour life. This is due in part to foodie tourism - encouraged by the award of Protected Geographic Indication status* to the smokie in 2004 - but perhaps more due to the support of the local community. “Everybody looks out for one another…” Jo said, taking in other smokie makers, the residents of the Fit o’ the Toon, and their loyal customer base, “…and wants to keep the tradition flourishing - hopefully it continues like that!”.

... everything bloody else! Arbroath and Auchmithie Fishing Tales, New Scriptorium residency (4/5)

One of the five comics I made as part of a residency at the New Scriptorium, a dedicated artists and writers’ bothy in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey. The residency was coordinated by the Arbroath Festival, in collaboration with Hospitalfield and the Lake s International Comic Arts Festival.

The comics are based on conversations I shared with Arbroath locals about the significance of the fishing industry to the area: its rich heritage, its vibrant but challenged present, and the promises and vulnerabilities of its future.

"The women did everything bloody else!"

With Ann Craig and Violet Thompson, both leading members of Heritage Arts Auchmithie Residents (HAAR) - a community group who celebrate the village of Auchmithie’s fishing history through theatre, music and art. Primarily led by women, HAAR is particularly dedicated to sharing the stories of Auchmithie’s fishwives, who were the lifeblood of the local fishing industry. As Violet said, aside from the fishing itself (and some net repair work), the fishwives were responsible for every other aspect of the industry, from baiting the lines - putting two to three mussels on up to 1400 hooks in one stint - to processing and selling the fish, which would often involve walking for miles carrying the heavy catch on their backs. Perhaps most famously, the fishwives also had to carry the fishermen to their boats; to protect them from getting wet before spending hours out at sea.

Fishing was the primary way of life in Auchmithie for centuries, but from the early 1800s, the fisher community gradually began to migrate 3 miles down the coast to Arbroath, which had better infrastructure to support the industry. With them came their traditional practice of smoking salted haddock over hardwood - the same process used today to make the now-famous Arbroath smokies.

Haar is a Scots word for a cold sea fog.

For generations, Arbroath and Auchmithing Fishing Tales, New Scriptorium residency (5/5)

One of five comics I made as part of a residency at the New Scriptorium, a dedicated artists and writers’ bothy in the grounds of Arbroath Abbey. The residency was coordinated by the Arbroath Festival, in collaboration with Hospitalfield and the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival.

The comics are based on conversations I shared with Arbroath locals about the significance of the fishing industry to the area: its rich heritage, its vibrant but challenged present, and the promises and vulnerabilities of its future.

This comic and the first one use the postcard format more reflexively than the other three. Typical local “sights” are overlaid with the voices of community members sharing reflections on the shifting significance of fishing to their own and the area’s identity.

In fishing for generations

Top: Arbroath Abbey viewed from the patch of wildflowers now growing from what would have been the outer cloister. The Abbey is probably best known as the site where the Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up in 1320. The Declaration is a letter from the Scottish nobility to Pope John XXII, calling on him to recognise Scotland’s independence from England and acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the nation’s lawful king. It is seen by many as the founding document of the Scottish nation.

Bottom: Smokies, fresh out of the fire, cooling on the rack. In the Product Specification document for the Arbroath Smokie, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it is described as “being to the humble haddock what prosciutto crudo is to the hind leg of a pig. It is the ultimate in flavour that can be achieved from the original article, and the secret, as with prosciutto, lies in the cure which gives the Smokie its delicious taste combining the subtle tang of smoke with the sweet, delicate flesh of the haddock.”

A State of Mind – Loveland's Weeds (1/3)

One of a selection of postcard comics I created for my final MA project at Falmouth University this year. Each postcard is based on a conversation I had at Loveland - a community growing project in Penryn, Cornwall - with fellow volunteers about weeds.

This one is from a conversation with Liz - lead flower grower at Loveland - who spoke with me generously about weeds during a volunteering session in late May (2023). When I first asked Liz how she feels about weeds, she responded by describing her frustration with how so many people are so disconnected from farming, and yet are often quick to blame farmers for the problems caused by our agricultural systems - when farmers are mostly struggling to make ends meet, doing what they have to do to survive.

I realised then that my positive interest in weeds could be construed as a suggestion that anyone working hard to protect their cultivated plants from weeds is in the wrong. Liz reminded me of how critical it is to treat this subject with sensitivity and nuance; to balance my interest in weeds as a concept with an understanding of how weeds do present real problems - particularly for farmers and, by extension, all of us.

The Prevailing Wind – Loveland's Weeds (2/3)

One of a selection of postcard comics I created for my final MA project at Falmouth University this year (2023). Each postcard is based on a conversation I had at Loveland - a community growing project in Penryn, Cornwall - with fellow volunteers about weeds.

This postcard is a response to two different conversations about ragwort, one day after the next, at Loveland - first with the medicine garden team, and then with the Saturday volunteer crew. Loveland was alight with ragwort in the summer of 2023 and there was debate over whether or not it needed to be removed. The 1959 Weeds Act and the 2003 Ragwort Control Act stipulate that ragwort is an “injurious weed” which, because it is poisonous to livestock, must be prevented from spreading. However, recent studies have suggested that the actual risk posed to livestock is minimal, and is far outweighed by the benefits to insect life; ragwort has been found to support twice as many insects than recommended pollinator-friendly “wild flowers”. The cinnabar moth, in particular, is almost entirely dependent upon ragwort as a food source.

While Loveland is dedicated to bolstering biodiversity through agro-ecological land management, ragwort’s legal status is a worry. Loveland exists on land that is currently on a short term lease; any suggestion that the land has been mismanaged, for instance, by allowing ragwort to grow extensively, could result in the denial of a lease extension.

Super Food or Super Weed? – Loveland's Weeds (3/3)

One of a set of postcard comics I made for my final MA project at Falmouth University in summer 2023. Each postcard is a response to a conversation I had at Loveland - a community growing project in Penryn, Cornwall - with fellow volunteers about weeds.

This one is based on a conversation with John, a committed Loveland volunteer and Belmont garden volunteer (on Falmouth University campus). This conversation took place at Belmont, not at Loveland, and so it is a weed itself - straying outside the project’s bounds.

When John told me (at Loveland) that they are growing callaloo at Belmont, I asked if I could come and see it. I had just been reading about amaranth, and was fascinated by its extremely varied status from species to species, and place to place. There are 95 accepted species of Amaranthus, with a native range extending across most of the world, and all of them (it seems) are edible. However, only about 12 varieties are cultivated as food or ornamentals, and the rest are commonly treated as weeds (collectively known as “pigweed”).

Callaloo is one cultivated type - although in some Caribbean countries, “callaloo” is the name of a dish, not a plant, and it is not always made from amaranth leaves. And here in the U.K. ‘amaranth’ seeds (it’s not clear which species of amaranth) are becoming increasingly popular as a nutrient-dense super food, like quinoa (with possibly the same detrimental effects on the communities growing it for whom it is a subsistence food).

Palmer Amaranth - “King of the Supwerweeds” - on the other hand, is wreaking havoc on farms across the United States. Resistant to almost all herbicides, and armed with deep tap roots, speedy growth, and a seed-production rate in the hundreds of thousands; palmer amaranth can take out 80-90% of a crop yield if left unchecked. The question “why not eat it?” has been raised, and attempts to answer it suggest that the real problem lies not with the weed but with the layered complexities of industrial agriculture.

Portraits – Loveland’s Weeds

A selection of portraits drawn from life of volunteers at Loveland - a community growing project I volunteered at while an MA student at Falmouth, around which all of my MA work came to revolve (see the other “Loveland’s Weeds” posts).

All of the drawings are coloured pencil over a gouache wash, and they each took about 20-30 minutes.

John weeding

Azeezat reading after a volunteer session

Zoe wrapping medicinal herbs into a smoke bundle

Finn sowing seeds in the polytunnel

Protesting Shell's AGM

A selection of illustrations documenting the protest held outside (and inside!) the oil giant Shell’s AGM at the Methodist Central Hall, London, in May 2022. The protests delayed the AGM by three hours.

The drawings are based on sketches on site and photographs.

openDemocracy's Annual Report 2021-22, cover

Cover illustration for openDemocracy’s Annual Report, 2021-22.

The illustration collages together images that speak to the different facets of openDemocracy’s work over that year. From investigating the ‘conversion therapy’ treatments targeting LGBTQ+ people in Costa Rica, Argentina and the United States, to revealing the network of surveillance oil giant BP employed to monitor the activities of climate activists.

Full illustration

Detail

Byline Times, June 2021 issue cover

Cover illustration for Byline Times June 2021 issue, to accompany the headline story - a review of the independent panel report on the unsolved murder of private detective Daniel Morgan.

Cover illustration in full

The illustration in situ on the cover of the online edition of the June 2021 issue of Byline Times

The People's Democracy of Johnsonia – Byline Times

An illustration to accompany Anthony Barnett’s story for Byline Times, in which he imagines a near-future for Britain under Boris Johnson as a tyrannical monarch.

The illustration references the iconography of Soviet propaganda posters and Francisco de Goya’s ‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’, from his disturbing, satirical aquatint series Los Caprichos (1797-1799).

The story and illustration were first published in Byline Times’ May 2021 print issue, and then published online on 17th June 2021. You can read the story on Byline Times’ website here.

Full illustration

Detail

Beyond Trafficking and Slavery philanthrocapitalism debate, January 2021

The cover illustration and one article illustration for Beyond Trafficking and Slavery’s (openDemocracy) debate on philanthrocapitalism - ‘How has philanthrocapitalism helped or harmed the anti-trafficking movement?’

The debate was published as a series of articles on the Beyond Trafficking and Slavery website across January and February 2021. You can read the debate in full here.

The illustrations visualise the irony at the heart of philanthrocapitalism: the exploitative practices behind the corporate profits channelled into philanthropic projects, with a mix of genuinely beneficial and ultimately pointless or even detrimental results.

Philanthrocapitalism debate cover illustration

Philanthrocapitalism debate feature illustration

Cover illustration detail

Feature illustration detail

Zoom portraits

Portraits of friends drawn via zoom at a time when we couldn’t meet in person. The drawings are based on sketches, screenshots and screen recordings taken during zoom calls.

Daniel working on a keys arrangement

Louis and Hamlet in a quiet moment together

Edward reading